In a message dated 9/18/99 11:44:35 AM Central Daylight Time, 
pokemaster007_700@yahoo.com writes:

Just so that you know, I will put my answers in ** so that you can tell what 
I'm saying

<< So you think you're all that or something right. >>

** Not particularly, but I do seem to have a bit more ability to communicate 
than some of the dips who post on the Pojo. **

<< You think you're the  smartest guy or girl that ever played pokemon? >>

** No, not particularly. However, I do seem to do a bit more research, 
reading, playing, experimenting, deckbuilding and tournament judging than the 
typical Poke-person. **

<< you think any one cares  about anything you write? >>
 
** Well, I can't speak for everyone, but at least 30 people (including you) 
have responded to my article. The thing I found most interesting was that it 
was a pretty even split between the dissonants and the supporters of my 
viewpoint. Obviously they cared enough to write 8] ) **

<<  I'm only writing to you because of what you wrote on the pojo strategy
 list. >>

** That's nice. I kinda figured from your email address that you were a 
Pokemon fan, and since I don't ever post to the Pokegym--I figured you'd read 
my PoJo article. **

<<How old are you any way? or are you to chiken to tell me the
 truth if you've got the balls to write back. >>

** I am in fact, 22 years old. I am a Junior at Iowa State University and I 
am the only official tournament judge for the Ames/Des Moines (central Iowa) 
area. 

Just how old are you? **

 << More than half the people  who play pokemon are young, like 8 - 12. And 
that's because pokemon wasn't aimed at older teens. Then the older teens 
playing a kids game make fun of the 8 or 10 year olds for having copied a 
deck they though
was good. >> 

** I agree. Today I judged a tournament that consisted of 73 total entrants.  
10 of them were in the "expert" (age 14 and older and some younger kids who 
were really good players) 40 kids age 11-14 and 22 kids 10 and under.  
Pokemon isn't geared towards younger kids either. It's geared towards 8-13 
year olds. That age group are old enough for thier parents to let them play 
in tournaments; that age group is old enough to read and understand the rules 
and more complex concepts of the game; and finally, that group of kids are 
old enough to have "money"--either through odd jobs they do for thier 
parents, thier paper routes, or whatever. **
 
 << If you say that it's pathetic for someone to make a raindance deck or a
 haymaker deck, then win in a tournement because they "copied" the deck
 is stupid. >>

** Here you show how well you read. I never said that developing a raindance 
or haymaker was stupid or that those people were pathetic. The persons I said 
were pathetic were the people who, after developing the "archetype" of thier 
choice, be it raindance, or haymaker, or whatever; those persons who never 
move past the sphere of other people's work into developing a deck of thier 
own... THEY are pathetic. 

People who can experiment on archetypes, modify them here and there and see 
how they work; people who take the risk to think about thier own concept, 
thier theme--those people are NOT pathetic. **

<< How in the hell are you supposed to stop millions of kids  through out the 
contenient from coping decks. I mean, if you say it's wrong or pathetic for 
someone to copy a deck put on the internet, why  in the hell were they put 
there in the first place. >>

** You misunderstand. I am not tyring to stop people from copying decks. I 
was voicing MY OPINION on players who are:
a. Old enough to read and understand the rules
b. Intelligent/mentally acute enough to understand the concept of theme and 
deck-type
c. Experienced enough through friendly play, tournament play, and through use 
of resources such as Apprentice who absoulutely refuse to step outside the 
safe confines of a deck that was designed and developed, as well as 
playtested, by someone else.  I am not referring to younger kids (although it 
is not unthinkable for a young kid to have a, b, and c apply.) Those people 
(a-c) SHOULD be able to come up with thier own concept deck! **
 
 << I agree with being pissed off at people who think they can kick anyones
 ass because they have a raindance deck. For instance, I happen to play
 a modified rain dance deck. >>

** Bravo! I am PROUD of you for modifying the archetype! People like you I 
have no problem with, becasue you are taking a risk in "changing that which 
is perfect" YAY! **
<< My friend sees my power, copies the deck  (not exactly but pretty close) 
then says "prepare to be wooped". I was annoyed at the fact that he just 
copied my deck,>>

** Now, imagine the annoyance of someone who spent hours working on a new, 
creative, completely origional deck, and your friend, with your copied 
archetype deck, can walk into the tournament and beat them! It wouldn't bite 
so much if  he was beat by an opponent who spent time modifying or developing 
a deck of his own, but to get beat by someone who can't even MODIFY his or 
her own deck... **

<<  but when we played, he won 1 out of 6 consecutive games we played. That 
felt good to shove his  taunts right back in his face. Then, another friend, 
bought that water  deck, because he saw the power of my deck. this again 
pissed me off,
 but i now have another chance to shove their bragging and taunting in the 
faces. >>

** and it felt good for me to watch my friend, whose hyperblastoise won at 
GenCon to get a good buttwhooping in todays tourney--and he got beat by 
people with origional decks ;] **

 << My advice to you is to shut-up before you get hurt >>

** LOL ** ** ROTFLAMO ** Hurt by whom? You? What are you going to do? Are you 
going to come to my house and beat me up? Are you going to call up the 
government and tell them to take away my birthday? Do you think that my 
feelings will be hurt by someone who sends me email and calls me a moron? 

*Laugh* I'm a big girl, hon. I've been all over the world, seen lots of 
different things and met lots of different people. Nothing anyone can say to 
me in an EMAIL is really gonna hurt my feelings--what it will do is to help 
me understand the people who don't live around here who love the game of 
Pokemon. A lot of people have sent me emails like the one you sent me--and 
for all of them, I've taken the time to better explain what it was that 
he/she failed to understand from the Pojo article in the first place. 

My advice to YOU is to make sure you READ COMPLETELY and THINK ABOUT things 
you read. If, after you do those things, you still don't agree with the 
person then send them an email and say "I don't agree, " not "you are a 
moron."

Peace and Love and Pokemon Dreams
The Pokemon Lady
klvyonne@aol.com
 
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